The starting rotation for the Los Angeles Angels turned out to be one of the consistent bright spots last season, but they still need to add a starting pitcher for the 2023 season.
General manager Perry Minasian signed Tyler Anderson to provide them with some talent and experience, but the Angels have only five starters when they intend to run a six-man rotation.
With an average age of around 27 years old, the Angels starting staff is fairly young, and should Minasian look to add another arm, a veteran would be the best route to pursue.
One potential option is Chris Sale, who the Boston Red Sox have reportedly made available, or any of their other starting pitchers, via Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
Chris Sale is a pitcher they and others could look at. The Red Sox told teams early they had no intention to trade Sale, but they’re open to listening on starters now.
The 33-year-old caught the injury bug in recent years, undergoing Tommy John surgery in March 2020, and just last season, he suffered a stress fracture in his right rib during a batting practice session. After being struck by a line drive on his left hand, fracturing a finger, he then broke his right wrist on August 6 while riding a bike, which ended his season.
But his production is undeniable, and if the back luck is wiped away as the calendar turns to 2023, then his 3.17 ERA, 3.33 xFIP, & 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings line since 2021 in 48.1 innings is legit.
Sale is under contract through 2025, his age 36 season, and he has a full no-trade clause that extends through 2024.
The Angels’ current, projected, salary situation has their payroll at around $220 million, just shy of the Collective Bargaining Tax. If they were to take on a large portion of his contract, which the Red Sox will try to swing, they’d undoubtedly go north of the CBT.
There isn’t a major need to add a top-end arm like Sale, and his high-cost coupled with remaining cash and years could drive away potential suitors, including Minasian and the Angels.
Aside from starting pitching, Angels plan to mix & match position players
The Angels approach the 2023 regular season with new weapons at their disposal and more of a structured plan in place for how to deploy different players.
Anthony Rendon, Mike Trout, Archie Bradley, David Fletcher, Taylor Ward, Jared Walsh, and many others spent time on the injured list last season, some much more than others, which caused a domino effect that contributed to the team’s downward spiral.
However, Minasian understood that dipping into their incredibly thin MLB-ready player pool at the Minor League level wasn’t something they’d like to do again.
Make sure to follow Angels Nation on Twitter for all the latest news and updates surrounding the Halos!
